along its supple leather surface.
The one touch was enough to trigger a flood of memories. He really loved baseball. And he still planned to play in a lot of
games. But who said he had to limit himself to just one sport? And who said he always had to be on the school team? Same as
swimming, now that he knew more about it. As long as he gave all he had whenever he played in any sport, that's what really
counted.
With that thought in mind, he finished his cleaning up and called downstairs, “Ready!”
On the bus to the meet, the coach read off the roster.
Jerry listened as Tanya's name was called out for the hundred-yard backstroke, the hundred-yard butterfly, and the two-hundred-yard
freestyle relay.
“Wow, you're really gonna be doing some swimming today,” Jerry whispered to her across the aisle to where she was sitting.
When Coach Fulton finished with the girls, he called out the names for the boys events.
Tony was scheduled for the fifty-yard freestyle, the hundred-yard freestyle — and the hundred-yard backstroke. The coach had
decided to put him in after all — along with Lars and Wayne. So, despite Jerry's showing in that practice race on Wednesday,
he still wasn't good enough at the backstroke after all.
But there was another surprise in store for him. He heard his name called out for the fifty-yard freestyle as well as the
five-hundred-yard freestyle.
When Coach Fulton had finished reading the list, the bus arrived at the Weaver Middle School pool, where the meet was to be
held. As they got off, the coach pulled Jerry to one side.
“You're probably wondering how I picked you for the sprint, aren't you?” he said, walking toward the locker room with the
rest of the team. “I know you don't think of yourself as a sprinter, but we need some help in that race. And I think it'll
give you a good chance to warm up before the five hundred. So, don't hold back, give it everything you've got.”
Jerry thanked the coach and ran off to get suited up.
In the locker room, he took some good-natured ribbing from some of the other guys.
“From fifty to five hundred, you've got it all, slugger!” said Lars.
“Yeah,” said Sammy Wu. “You can take a nap in between races.”
There was some, good advice, too.
“Watch out for the sprint,” said Tony. “Even though it's just fifty yards, it's a lot longer than it sounds. So pace yourself
a little so you have something left for the finish.”
“Thanks, Tony,” said Jerry. “And good luck in all your races. I'm glad you're in the backstroke. Some day I hope I'm good
enough for that one, too.”
“You're good enough,” said Tony. “I think the coach just wants 'old reliables' in there during this meet. You'll get your
chance sometime.”
As they came out of the locker room into the pool area, Jerry got a quick adrenaline rush. It was becoming a familiar sensation.
The public address system blared out a welcomeand then went on to set the stage for the competition ahead.
“
This is the last meet of the season for these two teams. The Bolton Blues bring with them a strong record of five to two,
having won their last three meets with outstanding scores. The host team, the Weaver Beavers, have an identical record of
five to two but have won their last four meets. So we can expect some exciting events out of these two teams
.”
This is where the flip-flops inside my stomach usually take over, Jerry thought. But as he stood for the singing of the national
anthem, he was surprisingly calm. Maybe he didn't even have to be standing in the water for Tanya's “moment of relaxation”
to work for him.
“
Our first event will be the girls fifty-yard freestyle
—”
“
The next event will be the girls one-hundred-yard breaststroke
—”
One by one, the races were run.
Tanya won first place in the hundred-yard backstroke and took second in the hundred-yard butterfly.
Lars took first place in the hundred-yard
The one touch was enough to trigger a flood of memories. He really loved baseball. And he still planned to play in a lot of
games. But who said he had to limit himself to just one sport? And who said he always had to be on the school team? Same as
swimming, now that he knew more about it. As long as he gave all he had whenever he played in any sport, that's what really
counted.
With that thought in mind, he finished his cleaning up and called downstairs, “Ready!”
On the bus to the meet, the coach read off the roster.
Jerry listened as Tanya's name was called out for the hundred-yard backstroke, the hundred-yard butterfly, and the two-hundred-yard
freestyle relay.
“Wow, you're really gonna be doing some swimming today,” Jerry whispered to her across the aisle to where she was sitting.
When Coach Fulton finished with the girls, he called out the names for the boys events.
Tony was scheduled for the fifty-yard freestyle, the hundred-yard freestyle — and the hundred-yard backstroke. The coach had
decided to put him in after all — along with Lars and Wayne. So, despite Jerry's showing in that practice race on Wednesday,
he still wasn't good enough at the backstroke after all.
But there was another surprise in store for him. He heard his name called out for the fifty-yard freestyle as well as the
five-hundred-yard freestyle.
When Coach Fulton had finished reading the list, the bus arrived at the Weaver Middle School pool, where the meet was to be
held. As they got off, the coach pulled Jerry to one side.
“You're probably wondering how I picked you for the sprint, aren't you?” he said, walking toward the locker room with the
rest of the team. “I know you don't think of yourself as a sprinter, but we need some help in that race. And I think it'll
give you a good chance to warm up before the five hundred. So, don't hold back, give it everything you've got.”
Jerry thanked the coach and ran off to get suited up.
In the locker room, he took some good-natured ribbing from some of the other guys.
“From fifty to five hundred, you've got it all, slugger!” said Lars.
“Yeah,” said Sammy Wu. “You can take a nap in between races.”
There was some, good advice, too.
“Watch out for the sprint,” said Tony. “Even though it's just fifty yards, it's a lot longer than it sounds. So pace yourself
a little so you have something left for the finish.”
“Thanks, Tony,” said Jerry. “And good luck in all your races. I'm glad you're in the backstroke. Some day I hope I'm good
enough for that one, too.”
“You're good enough,” said Tony. “I think the coach just wants 'old reliables' in there during this meet. You'll get your
chance sometime.”
As they came out of the locker room into the pool area, Jerry got a quick adrenaline rush. It was becoming a familiar sensation.
The public address system blared out a welcomeand then went on to set the stage for the competition ahead.
“
This is the last meet of the season for these two teams. The Bolton Blues bring with them a strong record of five to two,
having won their last three meets with outstanding scores. The host team, the Weaver Beavers, have an identical record of
five to two but have won their last four meets. So we can expect some exciting events out of these two teams
.”
This is where the flip-flops inside my stomach usually take over, Jerry thought. But as he stood for the singing of the national
anthem, he was surprisingly calm. Maybe he didn't even have to be standing in the water for Tanya's “moment of relaxation”
to work for him.
“
Our first event will be the girls fifty-yard freestyle
—”
“
The next event will be the girls one-hundred-yard breaststroke
—”
One by one, the races were run.
Tanya won first place in the hundred-yard backstroke and took second in the hundred-yard butterfly.
Lars took first place in the hundred-yard
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